Arts & Culture

ATLANTA -- Twenty-four productions have been nominated for the 2015 Georgia High School Musical Theater Awards, otherwise known as the Shuler Hensley Awards.

The program is named for Tony Award-winning actor Shuler Hensley, a Cobb County native. This year's winners will be announced Thursday, Apr. 23 during an awards ceremony at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

Winning a Shuler Hensley Award can reap major benefits for a budding performer. Just ask Jai'Len Josey, who won Best Actress in 2014 for her portrayal of Effie White in Tri-Cities High School's production of Dreamgirls.

ATLANTA (WXIA) -- Columbus-based Carmike Cinemas has become the first theater chain to decide not to show the upcoming Sony film "The Interview", according to both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter Tuesday evening.

Sony said earlier in the day Tuesday that they were moving ahead with plans to distribute the controversial comedy on Christmas Day, despite messages from hackers that appeared to threaten violence at theaters showing the film. The threats evoked the memory of 9/11, and suggested that violence of that sort would come to theaters and theater goers as a result of the film's going into wide release on Christmas weekend.

(WXIA) -- Frankly, plenty of people do give a damn about one of Hollywood's iconic films.

Gone With the Wind returns to movie theaters for its 75th anniversary later this year.

The movie, which won 10 Academy Awards, will be screened Sunday, Sept. 28 and Wednesday, Oct. 1 at select Atlanta-area theaters. Showings will be at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. both days. TCM Presents: Gone With the Wind also features an introduction from film historian Robert Osborne.

(WXIA) -- A sequel to the popular health documentary Fat Sick & Nearly Dead will be screened at several Atlanta-area movie theaters next month.

Fat Sick & Nearly Dead 2 will play Thursday, Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m.

The first film, released in 2010, followed Australian filmmaker Joe Cross in his quest to lose 100 pounds by consuming fruit and vegetable juice. In the second movie, Cross and a team of experts will explore broader themes of diet and health.

Cross credited his juice-based diet with helping him lose a considerable amount of weight and rid his body of a chronic auto-immune disease. He has since founded Reboot with Joe, which supports people in their decision to make positive dietary and lifestyle changes.

(WXIA) -- The nominees for this year's Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards, known casually as the Shuler Hensley Awards, were revealed Wednesday.

The awards program celebrates some of the best high school musical theater productions in the state. The award is named for metro Atlanta native Shuler Hensley, a seasoned Broadway performer who originated the role of the Monster in Young Frankenstein and won a Tony Award for playing Jud Fry in the revival of Oklahoma!

Sixty-one public and private high schools from 24 counties are vying for this year's awards. The winners will be announced on Thursday, Apr. 17 during an awards ceremony at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Tickets are $23 for the general public and can be purchased at shulerawards.org.